After being away from the office for two days, a mountain of work had piled up. Aaron watched the newly reinstated Amelia with gratitude, expertly rushing about to help wherever he could.

Junella took the opportunity to delegate her gift shopping task to him. “Aaron, could you help me pick up some pregnancy essentials and prenatal vitamins?”

Aaron’s face lit up instantly. “Really, Mrs. Kingsley?” He wondered, ‘Mrs. Kingsley is pregnant! This is incredible news. Mr. Kingsley is going to be a father!’

“Don’t worry, I’m very understanding. Buy the best, most expensive things you can find.” Amelia waved a dismissive hand, feigning magnanimity. She could handle one woman who might be carrying Landor’s child; heck, she could handle three.

After all, being Landon’s wife was a job in itself, one that paid a cool two million dollars a day. She’d not only visit Landon’s mistress; she’d also be her personal maid for the rest of her life at that rate.

“Yes, Mrs. Kingsley, I’ll get right on it. You take care, Mrs. Kingsley, and I’ll try to lighten your workload from now on.” After saying that, Aaron hurried out.

Amelia stared after him, dumbfounded. ‘Wait, does Aaron think I’m the one who’s pregnant? This is getting ridiculous!’ Then, another thought struck her. “Wait a minute. Does Aaron even know about Landon’s other woman?”

Amelia had to hand it to Landon; he’d kept this whole thing incredibly tight-lipped. The fact that he trusted her with this task spoke volumes about his confidence in her. And she certainly wasn’t going to let him down, especially with a two-million-dollar daily rate.

“Mrs. Kingsley, Mrs. Foster is here to see you,” her secretary announced through the intercom.

Amelia’s expression turned icy. She only knew one Mrs. Foster–Pamela, Zachary’s mother. ‘After all this time since I came back, she’s finally decided to show her face?’ she thought to herself with a sneer.

“Send her in,” Amelia said coldly.

“Yes, Mrs. Kingsley,” the secretary replied. A moment later, she ushered Pamela in.

As always, Pamela exuded an air of arrogance. Clutching her Hermes bag, she stood with her chin held high, expecting Amelia to greet her first. But Amelia remained seated at her desk, her expression icy and silent.

The silence stretched, becoming increasingly awkward. Pamela cleared her throat. “Amy, long time no see. How have you been?”

“I’ve been great,” Amelia replied, her face radiant. And she truly was.

Pamela thought, ‘Being a wealthy man’s wife really does make a difference. The finest clothes, the best food, everything top-notch. Even her demeanor has changed. Amelia used to be so meek around me, but now she carries herself like she’s the one in charge.’

“Amy, I truly never imagined things would escalate to this point between you and Zachary. I’ve always considered you like a daughter to me,” Pamela sighed theatrically, settling into a chair without waiting for an invitation.

“Mrs. Foster, did you come here for something specific?” Amelia asked, cutting straight to the chase.

A flicker of awkwardness crossed Pamela’s face. “Well, I’ve already given Zachary a stern talking to about yesterday’s incident. I was hoping you could be the bigger person and, well, let it go.”

“I did let it go,” Amelia said with a chilling smile. “Otherwise, he wouldn’t have walked out of that hotel room.”

“But you’ve ruined his career.” Pamela’s voice rose, her displeasure evident.

Amelia’s eyes lit up. “Oh? Is he impotent now?”

“Bringing Matthew back would completely undermine Zachary, wouldn’t it?” Pamela asked, keeping her voice even despite the resentment simmering beneath the surface.

Amelia’s eyebrows arched thoughtfully. Zachary had a younger half-brother, Matthew Foster, born out of wedlock. She’d met him once in her life–a pleasant, unassuming young man.

Though Matthew was raised under Pamela’s name after coming back to the Foster family, he’d had a tough upbringing. After high school, he was shipped off to some faraway state to manage construction sites.

Only when Zachary officially took over the family business was Matthew allowed to return to the fold.

By then, Amelia’s life had taken a turn for the worse. The Fosters treated her like a pariah. Matthew, however, often brought her small gifts, offering a bit of comfort amidst the hostility.

On one occasion, Amelia had a raging fever in the middle of the night. Zachary was busy fooling around with Sandra, and in the end it was Matthew that rushed her to the hospital. And now, in this lifetime, he was back early.

“Amy, you need to stop Matthew from coming back,” Pamela insisted.

“Me?” Amelia scoffed. “What does your family drama have to do with me?”

Pamela’s face hardened. “You know exactly how Matthew ended up coming back.”

Amelia couldn’t help but laugh. All she did was give Zachary a good beating. She hadn’t even contacted Matthew. Suddenly, it dawned on her–Landon must have been the one pulling the strings.

A wave of warmth washed over Amelia. Whether Landon did it to save face or genuinely for her sake, she was thrilled that Zachary was getting what he deserved.

“Amy, Zachary is a man with big ambitions and a powerful ego. If you take away his inheritance, it would be like taking his life. Please, I’m begging you, for the sake of how I’ve treated you in the past…” Pamela trailed off, waiting for a response from Amelia.

“Treated me well? Seriously?” Amelia retorted. “Every time I went to Foster Villa, you had me slaving away in the kitchen, doing all the dirty work, and then you’d criticize everything I did. Every time I gave you a gift, you’d pick it apart. That’s your idea of treating me well?”

Pamela was speechless for a moment. “I was just trying to train you,” she stammered, regaining her composure. “To teach you how to be the lady of the manor.”

“What kind of lady of the manor scrubs toilets, mops floors, and does laundry?” Amelia shot back with a sneer. Her expression hardened. “Pamela, stop with the charade. I know you’ve always looked down on me. From the very beginning, the wife you had in mind for Zachary was her, not me.”

Pamela froze, the realization hitting her like a ton of bricks. Amelia knew everything.

“And another thing,” Amelia continued, her voice icy. “I haven’t used Kingsley Group to pressure Zachary, but since you brought it up, I’ll make sure it happens.” She issued a command to her assistant. “From now on, Kingsley Group will cease all dealings with any party that collaborates with the Fosters.”

Pamela’s face was drained of color. She rose to her feet, staring at Amelia in disbelief. “How dare you?”

Amelia merely shrugged. “I dare do anything. The Fosters and I… We’re long past the point of caring about each other.”

“But you and Zachary… You have feelings for each other,” Pamela exclaimed.

Amelia scoffed, “Any feelings I had for him died the moment he tricked me onto that operating table. Now all that’s left is hate.”

Amelia’s words were like a slap in the face, shattering Pamela’s hopes. With a clenched jaw, she pulled out a heart-shaped red diamond pendant from her purse.

“Fine,” she spat. “Then I guess you don’t want Debra’s things either?”

The heart-shaped diamond pendant, etched with intricate designs, hung on a red cord, fashioned into a necklace. It looked incredibly familiar.

Amelia’s eyes were glued to the diamond, her mind reeling. A hazy memory surfaced of a small child, clutching the pendant with a mischievous, “Mommy, is this your heart? Don’t sell it. Give it to me, okay?”

It was Debra’s. Amelia had loved it, and that was the only reason Walter hadn’t pawned it off years ago.

“This was Debra’s pendant,” Pamela stated, her chin held high, a renewed sense of power radiating from her.

“Amelia,” she continued, her voice laced with a threat, “call off your dogs. And make sure Matthew doesn’t set foot back in Norava. Or else I’ll destroy it.”

“You wouldn’t dare,” Amelia roared, lunging from behind her desk to snatch the diamond pendant. It was the only remaining piece of her mother she had left, and she was desperate to get it back.

Pamela, taken aback by this uncharacteristic outburst from the usually composed Amelia, retreated hastily. “Amelia, come any closer and I’ll smash it!”

Amelia froze, her eyes, bloodshot and furious, fixed on Pamela’s hand. “Give it back to me.”

“-Sign a document guaranteeing Zachary’s inheritance rights, and it’s yours,” Pamela said, a triumphant smirk spreading across her face.

‘They all say how formidable Amelia has become, but it seems I was right all along,’ Pamela thought smugly. ‘A mere trinket and she’s completely at my mercy.’

Amelia took a deep breath. Of course, she couldn’t just stand by and watch her mother’s heirloom be destroyed, but she wasn’t the same pushover she used to be.